Note to drivers: iPhone has hands-free drawbacks

Apple's updated iPhone, which hits stores Friday, may be one of the hottest, most technically advanced handsets. But when it comes to helping users go hands-free in the car, it comes up short.

The new version, like the first, won't have voice dialing built into it. So users must manually search through their contacts or type phone numbers when placing a call. That can be difficult on an iPhone because it doesn't have physical keys and offers no tactile response when you hit a virtual button.

"My tongue is kind of in cheek here, but the iPhone may end up being the most dangerous phone on the road," said Mark Donovan, an iPhone owner and a senior analyst at market research firm comScore.

The iPhone's lack of voice dialing is unusual - nearly three-fourths of the cell phones on the market include the feature, according to Current Analysis, a market research firm. The missing feature seems all the more peculiar because Apple is based in California, whose highly publicized hands-free cell phone law just went into effect last week.

Not that either version of the iPhone runs afoul of that law, which bars drivers from talking on their phones while behind the wheel unless they are using some kind of hands-free device.

The iPhone ships with a wired headset, and it's compatible with wireless headsets, which also meet the law's requirements. Additionally, it has a built-in speakerphone feature, which offers a third hands-free option.

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Of course, just the act of talking on a phone is risky. Some studies indicate that people talking on a phone while driving are four times more likely to be involved in a crash than those who aren't. Similar studies indicate that people who use a keypad while driving are even more at risk - about 1 1/2 times as likely to have a crash as those simply talking on a phone, according to David Strayer, a psychology professor at the University of Utah who has done extensive research on driving distractions.

Other research has found little difference in risk between using a voice dialing system while driving compared with dialing a number manually. Voice dialing systems can require a good deal of attention from drivers because they tend to take longer to dial and are more error prone than simply hitting a key.

Hitting a key, however, is anything but simple on an iPhone, which has a virtual keypad that changes depending on the application. And because the device doesn't respond physically when you touch it, there's no way for users to know without looking whether they are touching the right keys.

In terms of risks while driving, having "no feedback is bad," Strayer said.

Apple did not return inquiries seeking comment about why it didn't include voice dialing in either version of the iPhone or about the potential safety risks of not including such software.

But at least some iPhone owners have been frustrated by the feature's absence. Carlos Palma, a 34-year-old Santa Clara test engineer, said he's had a difficult time looking up contacts on his iPhone while driving.

Selecting the right number can take more than half a minute, he said.

"That's a long time just looking at your phone," he said. "It's a good thing I haven't gotten into an accident yet."

Richmond resident Priscilla Olivas, a 29-year-old research associate, doesn't feel comfortable making calls from her iPhone while on the road. Users can jump directly to contacts beginning with a particular letter by pressing that letter, but Palma said she frequently presses the wrong one and has to manually scroll through her list.

"You want to talk about distractions? That's very distracting."

Not everyone has had problems. Daniel Seidner, a Los Angeles resident who is both a longtime developer of Apple applications and a high-performance driving instructor, finds the iPhone safer to use than other phones because of its larger, brighter screen.

"I can look at my iPhone in a brief second and see what I need to," said Seidner, 34.

IPhone owners may have some voice-dialing options in the near future. Amsterdam-based Makayama Media, plans to offer a program that iPhone owners will be able to download through Apple's new application store when it opens Friday.

But Makayama plans to charge about $25 for the application, and it will be limited. The program will only recognize contacts whose names users have previously recorded themselves saying.

Nuance Communications, the company that makes the Dragon Naturally Speaking speech recognition program, is working on a similar application. But it won't be available until fall and the price has not been disclosed, said company Vice President Michael Wehrs.

Before using either of the voice-dialing features, users would have to launch them by touching a button on their device.